IN THE NEWS

Apr 26, 2024
The Boston Globe

One Rhode Islander’s role in defending American democracy

If you've been around Rhode Island legal, political, and civic circles over the last couple of decades, there's a good chance you've crossed paths with R. Kelly Sheridan.

He’s a retired partner at Roberts, Carroll, Feldstein & Peirce, where he was one of the best-known lobbyists in the state, and is a former president of the Rhode Island Bar Association and chairman of the Champlin Foundation.

Apr 23, 2024
Verdict

Restoring Confidence in Elections: The ALI’s Timely Statement on Ethical Standards

The hotly contested 2020 Presidential Election was filled with complaints—not only about the election results, but also about the voting process itself. Aggregated and escalated, those complaints led not only to litigation, but also to doubts in some quarters about the reliability of the results the process produced. As we look ahead to November, it is likely that the voting process will again be severely tested unless confidence-inducing changes to the process are made.

Apr 11, 2024
The Dallas Morning News

Texas bar should act soon on Sidney Powell case

One by one, the lawyers who helped Donald Trump try to steal the 2020 election are being held accountable. The most recent example came a few weeks ago. A California judge recommended permanent disbarment for John Eastman for his role in devising so-called legal strategy to overturn the election.  

Apr 12, 2024
The Verdict

How Not to Restore Public Confidence in the Supreme Court

"Because of people’s already much-depleted confidence in the Court, and because of all that’s at stake for the nation in Trump v. United States, Justice Thomas’s refusal to recuse may well be not simply one more blow to public confidence in the Court, but a blow with the potential to damage that confidence beyond repair."

Apr 9, 2024
The Fulcrum

Disinformation underlies bans on care for transgender adolescents

In the past three years, 23 states have passed legislation that prohibits physicians and other health care providers from providing gender affirming health care to transgender minors. These laws constitute an extreme, unprecedented attack on transgender adolescents, their families and the medical providers who care for them.

Mar 25, 2024
The Bulwark

No Candor, No Credibility: Hiring RNC Ronna Is a Flub for NBC

NBC’s hiring of Ronna McDaniel, the recently ousted chair of the Republican National Committee, as a commentator is a disservice to viewers and to its own journalists. It is also yet another in a long line of disturbing examples of how political misinformation is being normalized. The network should not be able to get away with its whitewashing of McDaniel.

Mar 29, 2024
Fix the Court

FTC Endorses Groups' Model Ethics Code for Supreme Court

Fix the Court is endorsing the Model Code of Conduct for U.S. Supreme Court Justices released today by Project On Government Oversight and Lawyers Defending American Democracy that, if adopted, would set reasonable expectations for the justices’ conduct on and off the bench and bring them in line with judges across the country in having a formal document to refer to when faced with tough ethical questions.

Mar 19, 2024
The New York Times

Ethics Panels Dismiss Complaints Against Former Lawyer for Jan. 6 Witness

The witness, Cassidy Hutchinson, declined to cooperate with the inquiries by repeating to investigators the allegations she had made to Congress about Mr. Passantino, whom she replaced as her lawyer before testifying publicly to the House Jan. 6 committee. Mr. Passantino has denied the allegations that he pressured her.

Mar 9, 2024
National Public Radio

Outside groups take a first stab at a Supreme Court ethics code

Finally, somebody has taken a try at writing a Supreme Court ethics code, though not the court itself. The justices reportedly have discussed the subject but apparently have not reached any agreement on what, if anything, to do about it.

Now, however, two groups have written what they call a model code of conduct for the Supreme Court. And it's getting generally favorable reviews. The groups are the Project on Government Oversight, a nonpartisan, independent government watchdog, and the Lawyers Defending American Democracy.

Feb 29, 2024
The Sun Sentinel

The Florida Legislature’s obsession with communism is so 1952 | Editorial

An organization called Lawyers Defending American Democracy has documented anti-democratic trends in Florida, Arizona, Iowa, Tennessee and Texas.

The report faulted Florida for curbing voting by mail; anti-diversity policies in schools and universities; infringing on teaching race, sexism and slavery; crackdowns on undocumented immigrants and gender-related medical care; 15-week and 6-week abortion bans[...]"

Feb 29, 2024
The Fulcrum

Alabama, religious freedom and frozen embryos

LDAD Board Member James McHugh authors this timely and important article about the concurring opinion of Alabama Chief Justice Tom Parker in LePage v. The Center for Reproductive Medicine, P.C. In it he cautions. "It is difficult enough for the government to deal in democratic fashion with the often-difficult issues that lie at the intersection of individual autonomy, constitutional rights and public policy. Injecting religion into that process dramatically reduces the likelihood that the process will continue to produce useful results."

Feb 22, 2024
Legal Ethics Roundup

Interview with LDAD

The Legal Ethics Roundup is a "Monday morning tour" of all things related to lawyer and judicial ethics with University of Houston law professor Renee Knake Jefferson. In this feature, Renee explores the work of LDAD with three members of the organization: Gary Ratner, Cheryl Niro, and executive director Lauren Stiller Rikleen.

Jan 7, 2023
Counsel to Counsel Podcast

On Social Justice and Defending American Democracy

Lauren Stiller Rikleen, our Executive Director joins this podcast to speak on “Her Honor – Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women Judges,” along with the work being undertaken by Lawyers Defending Democracy. The podcast's host, Stephen Seckler, is an attorney interested in the ideas shaping the legal industry and attorneys who have done interesting and sometimes unconventional things with their careers.

Jan 5, 2023
The Fulcrum

Universities cannot be bystanders in these troubled times

Lauren Stiller Rikleen, our Executive Director and the editor of “Her Honor – Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women Judges” writes for The Fulcrum advocating for leaders in academia to speak out with moral clarity in times of crisis. The article argues, "academic principles of free expression should not prevent a university from speaking with unequivocal clarity in matters of moral imperative. … Indeed, the highest calling of higher education should be the ability to both model courageous behavior and encourage civil discourse in ways that can serve as conflict-resolution lessons throughout life."

Dec 16, 2023
The Hill

Watchdog groups push for disbarment of ex-Trump attorney Jenna Ellis over Georgia charges

Watchdog groups called for former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis’s disbarment in a letter Friday.

“We, together with the additional signatories below, write to urge the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel (OARC) to promptly commence a formal disciplinary proceeding against Jenna Ellis seeking her disbarment in light of her recent guilty plea to a felony in Georgia,” the letter from Lawyers Defending American Democracy (LDAD) and Stand United Democracy Center reads.

Dec 15, 2023
Devner Post

Former Trump attorney Jenna Ellis faces Colorado disbarment complaint following guilty plea

States United Democracy Center and Lawyers Defending American Democracy said they filed the complaint with the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel, which oversees the practice of law in Colorado. States United Democracy Center filed a previous complaint against Ellis in May 2022 that led to a public censure for her conduct.

Dec 11, 2023
Verdict

Sandra Day O’Connor’s Legacy: A Beacon of Judicial Restraint and Independence in the Supreme Court

Justice O’Connor has secured her legacy as an independent Justice who respected precedent and had an instinctive understanding of where the Court should seek common ground. As public trust and confidence in the Supreme Court diminish with each radical decision, one can only hope it is not too late for the lessons of her legacy to be learned and adopted.

Dec 7, 2023
Salon

OPINION: A dictator on "day one": The time to push back on Trump is now

"Those who believe in a constitutional republic governed by the rule of law need not wait until election day to teach Trump that in America, dictatorship is not what power can do. Public response can help sidetrack a man who would be king, on “day one” and beyond."

Oct 15, 2023
The Journal of the DuPage County Bar Association

An Inflection Point for the Legal Profession

"Even the strongest democracy can be breached by unchallenged assaults."

In a seminal piece for the organization, LDAD's Executive Director Lauren Stiller Rikleen calls on lawyers to bridge typical partisan divides and emerge from this inflection point in history with our democracy intact. 

Sept 6, 2023
Bloomberg Law

We Can’t Step Backwards on Progress Toward Colorblind Justice

Former Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court Peggy Quince reflects on her journey toward a legal career and the American promise that the judiciary be fair and impartial.

"For those of us who have lived through segregation and overt racism, what is happening in today’s political environment is living life in flashback."

Aug 16, 2023
Washington Post

The ‘brains’ behind fake Trump electors was once a liberal Democrat

About 10 days after his affiliation with the Napoli firm was announced internally, a group called Lawyers Defending American Democracy filed an ethics complaint against him in New York, asking a state grievance committee to investigate his conduct and “impose appropriate sanctions.” Tribe was among dozens of high-profile legal figures who signed the complaint.

July 7, 2023
Bloomberg Law

Moore v. Harper Affirms American Democracy and Rule of Law

There’s a reason that Moore v. Harper, the independent state legislature theory case, generated almost 70 amicus briefs in the US Supreme Court: it presented a profound threat to our democracy and the rule of law.

Moore is a victory for free and fair American elections and the rule of law over partisan politics. It’s also a victory for principled constitutional interpretation and the cohesiveness of the Supreme Court.

June 19, 2023
USA Today

Should Trump-allied lawyers be punished for 2020 election suits? The jury is still out.

Lauren Stiller Rikleen, executive director of the group Lawyers Defending American Democracy, said the bar associations and disciplinary boards set up in the states historically have handled complaints from clients over money and representation. “For us it’s about maintaining trust in the legal profession,” said Rikleen. “You can’t have trust in the legal system if attorneys can lie in open court without being held accountable.”

May 23, 2023
Bloomberg Law

DeSantis’s War on ‘Woke’ Dooms History to Repeat

Former Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court Peggy A. Quince writes that Gov. Ron DeSantis has hijacked the terms “woke” and “critical race theory” for political purposes, when these terms are meant to train our focus on our nation’s full history, including issues that have plagued people of color.

May 18, 2023
Law360

Texas Attorneys Back Bar's Disciplinary Action Against State AG

The State Bar of Texas' ethics lawsuit against Lone Star State Attorney General Ken Paxton after his attempt to challenge the 2020 presidential election results now has the support of 16 Texas attorneys and the nonpartisan action group Lawyers Defending American Democracy, who filed an amicus brief supporting the State Bar's Commission for Lawyer Discipline.

Apr 13, 2023
Boston Globe

The Supreme Court needs a code of ethics. Here's one to consider.

Using the rules applicable to all other federal judges as a baseline, our organizations’ proposed code includes: clear guidelines for recusal; prohibitions against specific kinds of conduct that create an appearance of impartiality; more rigorous obligations for disclosure; and standards for transparent decision-making.

Mar 24, 2023
Bloomberg Law

Unjust Laws and Court Decisions Overshadow Women’s History Month

Looking back on this Women’s History Month, there still isn’t much opportunity to celebrate. Women around the country face an onslaught of laws and court decisions that reduce or eliminate rights that prior generations fought hard to achieve. If anything, this month should have served as a call to action.

Mar 22, 2023
ABA

ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice: Chair Chat with Lauren Stiller Rikleen

ABA Section Chair Juan R. Thomas and Rikleen Institute for Strategic Leadership President & Founder and Lawyers Defending American Democracy Executive Director Lauren Stiller Rikleen discuss 'Her Honor – Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women Judges' and Women’s History Month.

Mar 14, 2023
MSNBC

The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell

Using excerpts from LDAD’s ethics complaint as the basis for discussion, Lawrence O’Donnell and his guests, Professor Stephen Gillers and attorney Neal Katyal, engaged in a substantive and thoughtful conversation that clearly explained why the allegations against Mr. Passantino matter to the rule of law. The discussion of LDAD’s ethics complaint begins at 5:53 into the segment.

Mar 13, 2023
New York Sun

Proposed Ethics Code for Supreme Court Escalates Campaign To Bind the Justices

The release of a “Model Code of Conduct for U.S. Supreme Court Justices” by two good-government groups — Project for Government Oversight and Lawyers Defending Democracy — brings into sharp focus the growing effort to regulate the justices, a push that the Nine has thus far resisted.

Mar 13, 2023
Washington Examiner

Clarence and Ginni Thomas could be sidelined under Supreme Court 'model' ethics code

A proposal by outside interest groups for the Supreme Court to adopt a new "model" ethics code could thrust Justice Clarence Thomas and his spouse, Ginni, further into the political limelight. The proposed guidelines from so-called independent government watchdogs Project on Government Oversight and LDAD would put in place "more stringent guidelines for recusal." 
 

Mar 6, 2023
Newsweek

Trump Attorney Could Face Disbarment Over Cassidy Hutchinson Testimony

A group of three dozen attorneys affiliated with the center-left organization Lawyers Defending American Democracy filed a complaint with the Washington, D.C., bar on Monday, accusing Stefan Passantino of pressuring Cassidy Hutchinson to provide false testimony to members of Congress.

Mar 6, 2023
Salon

Ex-Trump ethics lawyer may face disbarment for allegedly trying to influence Hutchinson testimony

Hutchinson, who was a top aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, provided damning information during the House committees January 6 probe and revealed that her previous lawyer, Stefan Passantino, had tried to influence her testimony and encouraged her to withhold information from the committee.

Mar 6, 2023
Law360

Fmr. Bar Heads Want Ex-WH Atty Disbarred Over Jan. 6 Probe

A group of past District of Columbia and American Bar Association presidents on Monday joined calls for the disbarment of former Trump White House attorney accused of urging a staffer to lie to Congress.

Mar 6, 2023
ABA Journal

First lawyer who advised Jan. 6 witness Cassidy Hutchinson should face ethics probe, group tells regulators

Hutchinson had testified that Passantino, a former lawyer in the White House counsel’s office, told her to downplay her knowledge of events before the attack and told her that: “The less you remember, the better,” according to prior coverage by Reuters, which obtained a transcript of the testimony.

Mar 6, 2023
New York Times

Group Seeks Disbarment of a Trump-Aligned Lawyer for a Key Jan. 6 Witness

Prominent lawyers filed a scathing ethics complaint against Stefan Passantino, who represented Cassidy Hutchinson in the early stages of the House committee’s investigation.

Nov 8, 2022
Bloomberg Law

Federalist Society’s Influence on Courts Is Bad for Democracy

Peggy Quince and Lauren Stiller Rikleen of Lawyers Defending American Democracy examine the Federalist Society’s influence over state and federal judicial selection. They say originalist judges are problematic for democracy by looking to what the framers would have done.

Oct 12, 2022
New York Times

Lawyers Group Asks Court to Punish an Author of Trump Electors Scheme

An ethics complaint in New York against Kenneth Chesebro is the latest example of legal troubles for lawyers who helped Donald J. Trump try to overturn the 2020 election.

Oct 12, 2022
Reuters

Lawyer group says Trump attorney broke ethics rules in fake elector plan

A group of prominent attorneys on Wednesday asked attorney regulators in New York to investigate lawyer Kenneth Chesebro in connection with former U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 electoral loss to Joe Biden.

Aug 26, 2022
USA Today

Will Pentagon whistleblower Yevgeny Vindman retire as colonel?

Supporters of Army Col. Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman are urging the White House to allow the Pentagon whistleblower to retire at his current rank when he retires Wednesday, acknowledging unfair treatment which he has received in recent years.

Aug 26, 2022
Military Times

Will Pentagon whistleblower Yevgeny Vindman retire as a colonel?

Both Vindman brothers have become politically polarizing figures since Trump’s first impeachment trial, where the former president was ultimately acquitted of charges that he pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2019 to help with political attacks against Biden in exchange for foreign aid.

Aug 26, 2022
The Hill

Biden faces calls to let Vindman twin retire as colonel

President Biden is facing calls to allow Col. Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman, who alongside his twin brother Alexander blew the whistle on former President Trump’s July 2019 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, to retire with the title of colonel. 

Aug 23, 2022
Washington Post

Opinion: Liz Cheney is a smart, brave Republican

Gary Ratner, LDAD's co-founder, authors an opinion piece repudiating Republican Florida state Rep. Anthony Sabatini assertion that Liz Cheney is not "smart" for speaking out against former president Donald Trump’s Big Lie.

Aug 23, 2022
Houston Chronicle

Paxton is pushing for dismissal of bar lawsuit

Lawyers for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will argue Wednesday in court that a judge should drop a disciplinary case filed against him by the State Bar of Texas alleging he knowingly lied and attempted to mislead the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to overturn the 2020 election results.

Aug 9, 2022
National Law Journal

Justice Alito’s Hypocrisy

Religious liberty means that all religions are able to thrive in harmony. It does not mean that a majority of SCOTUS justices who share a religion should be able to demand that other religions subjugate their own beliefs to the majority’s will.

July 22, 2022
CNN

Opinion: Why Steve Bannon's conviction really matters

Even though Bannon's conviction is for contempt, rather than for an underlying crime, the principle remains the same. For more than two centuries, America has been a society bound by the rule of law, not the rule of men -- and we need to keep it that way.

July 20, 2022
The Bulwark

Trump’s Inexcusable Jan. 6th “Dereliction of Duty”

“Dereliction of duty” is a serious accusation, and based on what has already emerged in the committee’s hearings, one that fits. It is beyond question that President Trump was aware in real time of the violence at the Capitol and that he did nothing for hours on end to call off the mob he had helped to summon. So argues, our colleagues Dennis Aftergut and Eugene Fidell.

June 30, 2022
Global News

Controversial rulings spawn questions about U.S. Supreme Court's legitimacy

From its historic rollback of abortion rights to limiting regulations on power plants' carbon dioxide emissions, the U.S. Supreme Court is stirring up controversy and anger. LDAD's Lauren Rikleen weighs in.

June 30, 2022
Bloomberg Law

The Politicization of SCOTUS Threatens Its Legitimacy

Prior to this term, Americans mostly were comfortable with the idea that the US Supreme Court would ensure their constitutional rights were protected against government overreach, say James F. McHugh and Lauren Stiller Rikleen of Lawyers Defending American Democracy. 

May 3, 2022
Bloomberg Law

SCOTUS Draft Rejecting Roe Must Spur Legal Profession to Speak Up

The unprecedented leak of an apparent draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court indicating it is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade should be a wake-up call to the legal profession, says leadership consultant Lauren Stiller Rikleen. Sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option, she writes, as the fundamental right of women to make decisions affecting their own bodies is at risk.

Mar 8, 2022
Houston Chronicle

Texas State Bar Complaint Moves Forward Against AG Ken Paxton 

This Houston Chronicle article provides an update regarding the status of a complaint filed by Lawyers Defending American Democracy and 16 Texas lawyers in July, 2021.

Mar 7, 2022
National Law Journal

Russian Attack on Kyiv Holocaust Memorial Site a Blatant Violation of International Law

It is particularly painful to watch not only war crimes committed by the Russian assault on the Ukrainian people, but the return in the 21st century of an unjustified attack in a region where civilians have endured a history of ethnic cleansing, mass casualties, and genocide.

Mar 2, 2022
National Law Journal

SCOTUS Confirmation Should Focus
on Qualifications

The country deserves a confirmation process for Judge Jackson that is incisive and informative. Americans will have a crucial opportunity to watch the interplay of difficult dynamics that include politics, bias, and entrenched institutions.

Feb 14, 2022
Bloomberg Law

Entrenched Biases Surface for Potential SCOTUS Nominee

Deep-seated biases are evident in commentary questioning whether President Biden’s vow to appoint a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court conflicts with finding the most qualified jurist for the role, says leadership consultant Lauren Stiller Rikleen.

January 7, 2022
National Law Journal

Democracy Is Backsliding — The Rule of Law in Decline

Data shows that our democracy is “backsliding” and our rule of law is in decline. Yet our nation’s lawyers—the profession most trained to help—largely remain on the sidelines instead of taking a stance.

Dec 17, 2021
The Hill

Legal organization files ethics complaint on Trump lawyer Eastman

A legal organization filed an ethics complaint on Thursday seeking to have a lawyer, John Eastman, investigated for advising former President Trump in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. 

Dec 17, 2021
Newsweek

1,300 Attorneys Demand Calif. Bar Investigate Trump Lawyer Over Effort to Overturn Election

Eastman wrote a now infamous memo that suggested then-Vice President Mike Pence had the authority to reject electors from key battleground states that flipped blue for President Joe Biden, resulting in Trump's Electoral College loss.

Dec 17, 2021
Above the Law

Bumbling Trump Coup Lawyer John Eastman Finds Yet Another Bar Complaint In His Stocking

The petitioners claim that Eastman’s effort to subvert the will of the voters amounts to a violation of California Rule of Professional Conduct 8.4(c), which prohibits a lawyer to “engage in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or reckless or intentional misrepresentation.”

Dec 16, 2021
Bloomberg News

Trump Lawyer Eastman Should Be Sanctioned, 1,200 Attorneys Say

A lawyers’ group has filed the third ethics complaint against Trump lawyer John Eastman with the California bar, alleging misconduct when he colluded with others in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and keep Donald Trump in office for a second term.

Dec 16, 2021
Law.com

1000 Attorneys Ask California Bar to Investigate Trump Ally John Eastman

More than 1,300 signers in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia have signed in support of the complaint, which asks the State Bar of California to investigate and, if appropriate, sanction Mr. Eastman for violations of the California Rules of Professional Conduct.

Dec 16, 2021
Law & Crime

Legal Group Files Bar Complaint Against John Eastman for ‘Carefully Orchestrated’ Effort to ‘Overturn the Results’ of the 2020 Election

A legal group filed a bar complaint against conservative attorney John Eastman on Thursday claiming he violated legal ethics rules while serving as an attorney for former President Donald Trump.

Nov 22, 2021
ABA Journal

Lawyers call on members of the profession to defend voting rights

“We’re lawyers. If we’re not speaking up for this issue, who will?” says Lauren Stiller Rikleen of Lawyers Defending American Democracy, a group pushing for more attorneys and firms to take action against the restrictions. 

Oct 18, 2021
Bloomberg Law Opinion

Disciplinary Complaints Await Former Assistant AG Jeffrey Clark

Bloomberg Law has published an op-ed by LDAD steering committee members James McHugh, John Montgomery, and interim Executive Director Lauren Rikleen. The piece considers the fate of former Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Clark, who is the target of LDAD's most recent ethics complaint.

Oct 17, 2021
The Guardian

Pressure mounts on ex-DoJ official Jeff Clark

Jeffrey Clark, a former top environmental lawyer at the Trump justice department accused of plotting with Trump to undermine the 2020 election results in Georgia and other states, is facing ethics investigations in Washington that could lead to possible disbarment, as well as a watchdog inquiry that might result in a criminal referral.

Oct 5, 2021
The Hill

Group asks DC court to investigate DOJ official who peddled false election claims

A group of legal heavyweights on Tuesday asked the disciplinary panel of the D.C. Court of Appeals to investigate a former Department of Justice (DOJ) official who allegedly sought to use his official position in the federal government to overturn former President Trump’s election defeat.

Oct 5, 2021
Reuters

Attorneys file ethics complaint against ex-Justice official over plot to help Trump

A group of prominent attorneys on Tuesday filed an ethics complaint against Jeffrey Bossert Clark, a former top Justice Department official who is under investigation for allegedly plotting to help former President Donald Trump overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Oct 5, 2021
National Law Journal

Trump DOJ's Civil, Enviro Leader Faces DC Ethics Complaint

The former head of the U.S. Department of Justice's civil and environment divisions during the Trump administration should face serious sanctions for his "extraordinary" and "unethical" conduct during the 2020 presidential election.

Oct 5, 2021
Above the Law

Trumpland Lawyers Face Bar Complaints After Engaging In Some Light Coup-ing

In DC, a group called Lawyers Defending American Democracy demands accountability for Jeffrey Clark, who attempted to persuade his bosses to send a letter to election officials in Georgia — and then the rest of the swing states — urging them to let the legislature override the will of the voters.

Aug 31, 2021
Law 360

Texas Bar Launches New Investigation Of Paxton Election Suit

The State Bar of Texas has agreed to investigate Attorney General Ken Paxton after four former state bar presidents complained that his support of a lawsuit to overturn the 2020 presidential election should prevent him from practicing law in the state.

Aug 30, 2021
Law & Crime

State Bar of Texas Investigating AG Ken Paxton Over Alleged Ethics Violation

The State Bar of Texas has agreed to investigate an ethics complaint filed against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). In a letter, the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel of the State Bar of Texas told complainant Gershon Gary Ratner, co-founder of LDAD, that his late July ethics complaint–filed along with 15 other Lone Star State attorneys–contained facts alleging that Paxton had engaged in professional misconduct.

Aug 30, 2021
The Texas Tribune

Texas State Bar Examining Paxton Misconduct Claim

A group of 16 lawyers who filed an ethics complaint against Attorney General Ken Paxton said Monday that the state bar was looking into its professional misconduct claim against the sitting attorney general. The group includes four former presidents of the State Bar of Texas and was organized by the group Lawyers Defending American Democracy.

July 26, 2021
Houston Chronical

Editorial: Past presidents of Texas State Bar want AG Paxton disbarred.

A 31-page complaint was filed last week with the State Bar of Texas by 16 Texas attorneys, including four past presidents of the State Bar of Texas, as well as legal scholars and legal-ethics experts.

July 22, 2021
Newsweek

Ethics Complaints Filed Against Texas AG Ken Paxton for Efforts to Overturn 2020 Election

Gershon Ratner, co-founder of LDAD, explained the lawsuit did not have "standing," as the Supreme Court inevitably determined. Ratner described Paxton's lawsuit as "a prescription for an autocratic president to perpetuate his power indefinitely against the will of the voters."

July 22, 2021
The Crime Report

TX Lawyers Call for Disbarment of ‘Unethical’ AG Paxton

Sixteen Texas lawyers, including four former State Bar of Texas presidents, have filed a complaint urging bar regulators to suspend or permanently disbar Texas Attorney General Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr. from practice.

July 22, 2021
ABOVE THE LAW

TX Attorney General Ken Paxton Files Fake Election Suit, Gets Real Bar Complaint

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has bigger problems than a bar complaint. Most notably, he’s under indictment for securities fraud and is facing a whistleblower allegations from his own staff that he took bribes and abused his office. And still, demands for your ouster from the legal profession by 31 eminent professionals, including four past presidents of the state bar, is never a good look.

July 21, 2021
LAW.COM

High-Profile Group of Lawyers Seeks to Suspend or Disbar Texas AG Ken Paxton

Asserting Paxton has brought “dishonor” to his fellow Texas lawyers and the legal profession, the group of 16 prominent Texas lawyers and the group Lawyers Defending American Democracy said in the complaint that Paxton has engaged in a pattern of “serious violations” of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct.

July 21, 2021
LAW360

Past Texas Bar Presidents Want AG Paxton Reprimanded

Four former presidents of the State Bar of Texas are part of a group of lawyers who on Wednesday urged the bar to reprimand Attorney General Ken Paxton for attempting to overturn presidential election results and allegedly encouraging participation in the Jan. 6 Captiol riot.

July 12, 2021
The Hill

Lawyers group criticizes Noem, Abbot on National Guard to border

A nonpartisan group of lawyers released a statement on Monday in opposition to the deployment of non-federalized National Guard troops to the border by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), concluding that the states are “way out of their lane.”

July 13, 2021
Above the Law

Private National Guard Field Trips To The Border May Be Useless But At Least They’re Also A Constitutional Crisis!

If privately funded commandeering of the armed forces to enforce Tucker Carlson’s fever dreams sounds like a dystopian nightmare, then you are paying the appropriate amount of attention. Lawyers Defending American Democracy thinks this is a problem too, highlighting the disturbing conceit that patrolling an international border is “state” business as opposed to a federal prerogative with massive foreign policy implications.

June 26, 2021
NBC News

Rudy Giuliani's New York suspension proves dangers of Trump's lies

Giuliani’s troubles with the appellate division of the Supreme Court of New York began last January, when [...] Lawyers Defending American Democracy, presented a detailed complaint alleging that Giuliani “knowingly propagated a false narrative of election fraud to delegitimize ... Biden’s presidential victory and to undermine public confidence in the national electoral process.”

June 24, 2021
Courthouse News Service

Giuliani’s Law License Suspended in NY for Pushing Voter-Fraud Lie

A group of attorneys called Lawyers Defending American Democracy called on a New York disciplinary panel to immediately suspend Giuliani’s law license pending an investigation.

Giuliani’s claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election have landed him as a co-defendant in multiple defamation cases[.]

June 19, 2021
Boston Globe Letters

Legal profession was stunningly silent, even complicit, in face of Trump’s assaults

Too few lawyers have entered the fray to protect and defend the rule of law, let alone critique or hold accountable lawyers and elected officials who participated in the corruption of the Justice Department and the efforts to nullify the results of the 2020 election.

June 18, 2021
National Law Journal

'No Exception': Lawyers Ask DC Ethics
Board to Force Review of Barr Complaint

“Gross misconduct by members of the bar — be they private attorneys or the Attorney General of the United States — seriously stains the reputation of the legal profession with the general public, and also, no doubt, tempts other lawyers to skirt ethical boundaries."

Apr 7, 2021
Bloomberg Law

Law Firms Mostly Quiet in Fight Over Georgia Voting Rights

As corporate leaders continue a public pressure campaign against changes to Georgia’s voting law that have sparked a national debate, the country’s largest law firms so far are staying on the sidelines.

Apr 7, 2021
Law 360

Open Letter Encourages Lawyers To Protect Voting Rights

Lawyers should use their powerful and influential platforms to advocate for the protection of the rule of law and to fight against voter suppression efforts in the United States, according to an open letter signed by Paul Weiss’ chairman and hundreds of other attorneys.

Apr 7, 2021
law.com

National Group Calls on Legal Profession to Fight Voter Suppression

The national organization Lawyers Defending American Democracy has issued an Open Letter calling on law firms, bar associations and law schools to devote resources to protecting and expanding voter rights in the midst of efforts in state legislatures around the country to curtail access to the polls, including new restrictions passed in the state of Georgia.

Mar 4, 2021
NYC Bar Association Podcast

The Professional Disciplinary Complaints about the Conduct of Rudolph Giuliani

Jennifer Rodgers, member of the City Bar’s Task Force on the Rule of Law and CNN legal analyst, speaks with Christine Chung, a trial and appellate attorney, former federal prosecutor and steering committee member of Lawyers Defending American Democracy about disciplinary complaints against Rudy Giuliani.

Mar 3, 2021
law.com

NYC Bar Details Complaints, Calling for ‘Full’ Attorney-Discipline Investigation of Giuliani

The complaints against Mr. Giuliani allege serious misconduct,” said the city bar association in an 11-page report, and they “appear to be substantiated by extensive evidence—consisting in large part of Mr. Giuliani’s own statements.

Mar 2, 2021
Law 360

NYC Bar Supports Giuliani Probe Over Work For Trump

The New York City Bar Association backs separate ethics complaints filed in January by former New York State Bar Association president Michael Miller and by the bipartisan nonprofit Lawyers Defending American Democracy that contend Giuliani intentionally and repeatedly crossed ethical and legal lines.

Mar 3, 2021
law.com

NYC Bar Details Complaints, Calling for ‘Full’ Attorney-Discipline Investigation of Giuliani

The complaints against Mr. Giuliani allege serious misconduct,” said the city bar association in an 11-page report, and they “appear to be substantiated by extensive evidence—consisting in large part of Mr. Giuliani’s own statements.

Feb 28, 2021
law.com

‘Boldly Frivolous’ Gohmert v. Pence Election Lawsuit Spurs Bar Complaints Against Attorneys

“Not a single word in that amendment, or in any other, gives the vice president any role whatsoever in choosing which votes to count let alone the extraordinary, unilateral power to select who the next president should be, regardless of the outcome of votes in the various states,” the group said in a statement in January.

Feb 19, 2021
The Fulcrum

One vote both squandered and sullied the ultimate congressional check on a president

Donald Trump tried to steal the election and prevent the peaceful transfer of power. And 43 Republican senators said that’s OK when they voted to acquit him in the impeachment trial. It was time to “stop the steal,” as the former president’s allies so often shout. But it was the Senate that refused.

Feb 19, 2021
ABA Journal

How lawyers can honor Black History Month with action

This February, we mark Black History Month at a time of sharpened focus on institutional racism, the Black Lives Matter movement and a raging pandemic that has disproportionately impacted minority communities. Read the latest opinion piece by LDAD committee member Lauren Stiller Rikleen.

Feb 1, 2021
New York Daily News

More than 3,100 lawyers call for Rudy Giuliani’s law license to be revoked

More than 3,100 lawyers, including a former Attorney General, 14 ex-federal judges and three dozen former prosecutors at the office Rudy Giuliani once led, have joined a call for his law license to be revoked.

Jan 22, 2021
Law 360

Attys Go After Giuliani’s Law License Over Campaign Tactics

New York State Bar Association leaders and academics hit Rudy Giuliani with an ethics complaint Thursday, joining others in calling on the bar to suspend the former New York City mayor’s license and investigate potential professional violations for persistently touting false voter fraud claims while spearheading ex-President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Jan 21, 2021
The New York Times

Prominent Lawyers Want Giuliani’s Law License Suspended

Dozens of prominent lawyers have signed a formal complaint seeking the suspension of Rudolph W. Giuliani’s law license — the latest and loudest in a series of calls to censure him for his actions as President Donald J. Trump’s personal attorney.

Jan 21, 2021
The Hill

Lawyers group calls for Giuliani’s suspension from law practice, ethics probe

A national lawyers group on Thursday filed an ethics complaint against Rudy Giuliani that asked a New York court panel to suspend the Trump ally’s law license and undertake a review of his role in promoting false election fraud claims that some argue fueled the insurrection at the Capitol.

Jan 21, 2021
Forbes

Ethics Complaint Against Rudy Giuliani Seeks To Disbar Him In New York

A legal advocacy group called Thursday for Rudy Giuliani to be investigated and potentially lose his license to practice law, filing an ethics complaint against the attorney with the Grievance Committee of the New York State Bar after the former New York City mayor led former President Donald Trump’s legal campaign to overturn the election and pushed baseless election fraud claims.

Jan 21, 2021
Washington Post

Lawyers want Giuliani investigated, license suspended

A lawyers’ group filed an ethics complaint against Rudy Giuliani with New York’s courts, calling for him to be investigated and his law license suspended over his work promoting former President Donald Trump’s false allegations over the 2020 election.

Jan 21, 2021
The Guardian

Lawyers call for Trump’s personal attorney to lose law licence

A group of prominent lawyers has asked New York’s judiciary to suspend Rudy Giuliani’s law licence for making false claims in post-election lawsuits and urging Donald Trump’s supporters to engage in “trial by combat” shortly before they stormed the US Capitol.

Jan 21, 2021
Huff Post

Rudy Giuliani’s Law License Should Be Suspended, National Group Of Attorneys Says

A national group of lawyers filed an ethics complaint against Rudy Giuliani on Thursday, calling on the state of New York to suspend his law license following the efforts to undermine the 2020 election and spread lies from Donald Trump about widespread voter fraud causing his presidential reelection loss.

Jan 11, 2021
New York Daily News

LDAD Steering Committee member Lauren Stiller Rikleen authors an Opinion in the New York Daily News

“The debate over a second Trump impeachment has underlined the false equivalence that brought about Trump’s election four years ago. Some pundits and politicians argue that, with mere days remaining in Trump’s interminable term, it is time to forget about accountability.”

Jan 4, 2021
Newsweek

Louie Gohmert Should Be Disbarred Over Election Fraud Lawsuit, Lawyers’ Group Says

Lawyers Defending American Democracy (LDAD), a group that claims to represent 5,000 lawyers nationwide, has publicly asked for disciplinary bodies responsible for overseeing lawyers to censure Republican Texas Representative Louie Gohmert and any other lawyers who supported Gohmert’s lawsuit seeking to overturn the results of the presidential election in favor of President Donald Trump.

Jan 4, 2021
The Hill

The silver lining of the Trump presidency?

Rarely, if ever, has a president wound up his term of office with as many people thinking ill of him as will be the case when Donald Trump returns to private life. The grave flaws of his administration have already been chronicled. What hasn’t been much noticed, however, is the positive impact he has had on one important part of American life: public engagement.

Jan 4, 2021
Dallas Morning News

Gohmert, Dallas lawyer who sued to change election results violated ethics rules for lawyers, group says

It was a ‘specious suit’ with ‘absurd’ premise, and the attorneys involved, including the Tyler congressman, should be punished, Lawyers Defending American Democracy says.

Jan 1, 2021
The Hill

Sen. Hawley tramples the 2020 vote in his run to 2024

LDAD Co-Founder Scott Harshbarger & Dennis Aftergut caution that “those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Follow the link below to read their latest Opinion piece for The Hill.

Dec 24, 2020
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

Former AG slams Trump attorneys for actions, bar leaders for silence

L. Scott Harshbarger doesn’t mince words in condemning the attorneys who have spearheaded President Trump’s failed efforts to undo the results of the 2020 election. “Many lawyers and their clients have tried to inject politics and partisan self-interest into this and achieve a result which is essentially a coup,” the former two-term attorney general says.

Dec 24, 2020
The Hill

Trump attorneys risk disciplinary action over wave of election suits

“President Trump’s barrage of litigation is a pretext for a campaign to undermine public confidence in the outcome of the 2020 election, which inevitably will subvert constitutional democracy,” read the open letter compiled by the group Lawyers Defending American Democracy.

Dec 23, 2020
Bill Press Podcast

Punish Trump’s Enablers!

LDAD Co-founder Scott Harshbarger joined the the Bill Press Podcast to discuss why the eighteen Attorney Generals who joined Texas AG Paxton’s now dismissed lawsuit to overturn the election should be disciplined and sanctioned. Along with host Bill Press, Scott is joined by Les Francis, former Deputy White House Chief of Staff for Jimmy Carter.

Dec 23, 2020
The New York Times Opinion

Is Trump Abusing Presidential Pardons?

LDAD Steering Committee member Eugene R. Fidell suggests actions Congress could institute to begin reforming the Presidential pardon.

Dec 22, 2020
The Bulwark

Holding the House 32 Accountable

Of the 126 House Republicans who signed the brief supporting the frivolous Trumpian Supreme Court lawsuit, 32 are lawyers. The bar should sanction.

Dec 21, 2020
The New York Times Opinion

Trump’s Loss, the Republic’s Win

LDAD Steering Committee member Dennis Aftergut authors a letter published by the New York Times on the importance of civic virtue.

Dec 16, 2020
Connecticut Law Tribune

Scorched-Earth Policy Makes for an Unnecessarily Messy Presidential Transition

LDAD Steering Committee member Eugene R. Fidell’s latest op-ed reads in part, “Scorched earth is what a nation’s military forces do in combat operations against an invader’s forces. It is not what an elected government in a democratic country does when it is voted from office.”

Dec 15, 2020
Boston Globe Opinion

Trump’s election lawyers must be investigated

LDAD co-founder Scott Harsbarger and LDAD Steering Committee members Lauren Stiller Rikleen, and Dennis Aftergut argue that if disciplinary authorities do not address President Trump’s attorneys’ ethical violations, the rules of professional conduct will be regarded as a meaningless standard to other lawyers and to the public.

Dec 14, 2020
Dallas Morning News

Lawyer Group Seeks Sanctions Against Texas AG Paxton

The Dallas Morning News ran a story on our latest call for bar condemnation and disciplinary action against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the initiator of the dangerous and frivolous Supreme Court petition.

Dec 10, 2020
Boston Globe Editorial

Trump attorneys must face disciplinary action

“More than 1,500 lawyers — including law professors, retired judges, and former heads of bar associations — issued a public letter calling the actions of Giuliani and the other attorneys pushing these baseless claims “a disgrace.” The signees urged disciplinary bodies to investigate their actions, and bar associations to publicly condemn them.”

Dec 10, 2020
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly

Lawyers group calls for probe of Trump campaign counsel

More than 1,500 attorneys have signed an open letter calling on bar associations to condemn President Trump’s campaign attorneys and urging bar disciplinary authorities to investigate the attorneys’ conduct, the group Lawyers Defending American Democracy has announced.

Dec 9, 2020
People Magazine

Lawyers Across the Country Urge Disciplinary Investigation of Trump Campaign Legal Team

About 1,500 lawyers and counting have signed a letter condemning President Donald Trump’s campaign legal team, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, for spreading falsehoods and “a pattern of frivolous court claims” as well as working to undermine the 2020 election.

Dec 7, 2020
HuffPost

1,500 Attorneys Call On Bar Associations To Condemn Trump Campaign Lawyers

HuffPost features coverage of LDAD’s Open Letter calling on Bar authorities to condemn and launch investigations into President Trump’s campaign lawyers.

Dec 7, 2020
New York Daily News

The case for disbarring Giuliani and DiGenova

“You don’t need a law degree to understand that the clock may be ticking on some Trump lawyers’ licenses. Rudolph Giuliani and Joseph DiGenova are two whose conduct has raised questions about their fitness to practice law.” Co-authored by LDAD Steering Committee member Dennis Aftergut makes the case for disbarring Giuliani and DiGenova.

Dec 7, 2020
The New York Times

Lawyers across the country urge bar associations to investigation Trump’s legal team

Arguing that “a license to practice law is not a license to lie,” nearly 1,500 lawyers issued a letter on Monday calling on bar associations across the country to investigate and, if needed, penalize the members of President Trump’s legal team, including the architect of his post-election strategy, Rudolph W. Giuliani.

Dec 6, 2020
The Bulwark

The GOP’s Burghers of Calais

When it emerged that Republican state officials from Michigan had been summoned to the White House in connection with President Trump’s already desperate struggle to unravel the results of this year’s general election, I thought of The Burghers of Calais. How else to capture their defeat—ironically at the hands of the leader of their own party, rather than some foe.

Nov 27, 2020
The Hill

‘Exit, pursued by a bear’

LDAD Steering Committee member Eugene R. Fidell writes, “Shakespeare’s “A Winter’s Tale” includes perhaps the most famous stage direction in the history of theater: “Exit, pursued by a bear.” The character pursued, Antigonus, comes to a bad end. Worse yet, it happens off stage.

Nov 21, 2020
New York City Bar

LDAD Applauds the New York City Bar Association’s Statement

LDAD applauds the New York City Bar Association and its President Sheila S. Boston for the statement it has issued in response to what they call “troubling and inappropriate conduct” by President Trump and his officials.

Nov 20, 2020
The Berkshire Eagle

Commentary: A Hard Landing

LDAD Steering Committee member Eugene R. Fidell wonders what must be going on in President Donald Trump’s mind as he files an “infinite number of lawsuits” in a futile attempt at a “Hail Mary.”

Nov 20, 2020
The Guardian

Donald Trump is still busy trying to bulldoze democracy

LDAD Steering Committee member Dennis Aftergut issues a call to arms: “If we survive this moment of danger, the US must attend to the difficult process of legislative, perhaps even constitutional, reform to prevent the next assault on democracy. In the meantime, we need an all hands on deck approach, mobilizing political leaders and civil society that the US has for a long time used to promote democracy abroad.”

Nov 19, 2020
The Hill

Presidential intransigence threatens our health and national security

LDAD Steering Committee member Dennis Aftergut co-authors an op-ed about the President’s shattering of time-tested norms — most recently, his refusal to facilitate the orderly transition of power.

Nov 19, 2020
The Bulwark

Trump Goes Out as He Came In

Donald Trump’s presidency is ending the way it began: with a handoff between administrations that could have been smooth but is instead confused, mired in controversy, and less useful for good governance than it could have been. So argues LDAD Steering Committee member Eugene R. Fidell in a new op-ed featured in the The Bulwark.

Nov 16, 2020
The National Law Journal

Now Is the Time for Bar Associations to Come to the Aid of Their Country

Laureen Rikleen, LDAD Steering Committee member, issues a powerful, critical and timely call to action for leaders of our profession. “Our country is at particular peril if its lawyers fail to recognize their unique role in protecting democracy.”

Nov 17, 2020
The Bulwark

The Week Democracy Pushed Back

LDAD Steering Committee member Dennis Aftergut co-authors a new article celebrating the citizens and leaders who have used their voices and platforms to stand up to the the President’s maneuvers to distort our most precious right—the vote.

Nov 13, 2020
Boston Globe

Attorneys representing Trump criticized by fellow lawyers for backing his false claims of widespread election fraud

Lawyers nationwide are demanding that their colleagues stop representing President Trump since he is falsely claiming widespread voter fraud and such unfounded allegations are in violation of his duties under the US Constitution. The Nov. 10 open letter is signed by more than 1,100 lawyers.

Nov 13, 2020
Vanity Fair

Law Firms Abandoning Trump’s Efforts to Undermine Democracy

“The country and the world are watching to see how America responds to the President’s shameful attack on the legitimacy of America’s voting process,” the nonprofit Lawyers Defending American Democracy wrote in an open letter signed by over 1,000 attorneys this week.

Nov 13, 2020
USA Today

‘Abuse of the rule of law’: 1,000 ex-judges, attorneys slam Trump’s false claims of voter fraud

“A group of 1,000 attorneys, including retired federal and state judges, state attorneys general and law professors criticized the Trump administration over baseless claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election”

Nov 13, 2020
law.com

Pressure Mounts on Attorneys Lodging US Election Fraud Claims

“Amid widespread condemnation and a protest called for outside the front doors of a New York law firm, the national bipartisan group Lawyers Defending American Democracy has released an open letter intending to increase pressure on attorneys and firms supporting claims of election fraud and calling out U.S. senators and the U.S. attorney general for what it characterizes as their complicity in obstructing the 2020 presidential election process.”

Nov 13, 2020
Miami Herald

Ethics at Risk

“Prestigious law firms are skating close to the ethical edge in filing lawsuits which undermine faith in the outcome of the presidential election.” So says a new Letter to the Editor by LDAD Steering Committee member Fred Lowenfels.

Nov 13, 2020
The Fulcrum

Now there’s an urgent opening to really make America great again

“The norms of democratic behavior must be restored. The divisions that have poisoned this country must be bridged. This calls for enlightened behavior.” LDAD Steering Committee members James McHugh and Stanley J. Marcuss author a new Op-Ed exploring what’s needed in the post-Trump era to truly make America great again.

Nov 8, 2020
Washington Post

Letter from 1,500 attorneys says Trump campaign lawyers don’t have ‘license to lie’

“President Trump’s barrage of litigation is a pretext for a campaign to undermine public confidence in the outcome of the 2020 election, which inevitably will subvert constitutional democracy,” the letter says. “Sadly, the President’s primary agents and enablers in this effort are lawyers, obligated by their oath and ethical rules to uphold the rule of law.”

Nov 8, 2020
ABC Journal

Hundreds of lawyers call for ethics probes of attorneys for election fraud claims; are bar charges likely?

Two former presidents of the ABA are among a group of more than 1,500 lawyers who are calling for ethics probes of lawyers making claims of widespread election fraud.

Nov 7, 2020
The Hill

More than 1,500 attorneys sign letter condemning Trump legal team

An open letter from Lawyers Defending Democracy has been signed by more than 1,500 attorneys, law professors and officials in the legal profession, including some high-profile signees such as Laurel Bellows, a former president of both the Chicago Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

Nov 7, 2020
Law.com

‘A Disgrace’: Hundreds of Lawyers Call for Bar Condemnations of Trump Election Lawyers

Hundreds of attorneys, including former heads of bar associations and retired federal judges, are calling for bar associations to investigate and condemn the lawyers behind President Donald Trump’s election lawsuits.

Nov 7, 2020
Law & Crime

Former American Bar Association Presidents, 1,000-Plus Lawyers Call for Bar Investigations of Trump Campaign Attorneys

At least 1,500 lawyers—retired judges, law professors, DOJ alumni and two former presidents of the American Bar Association (ABA) among them—have called for bar associations to condemn Trump campaign lawyers and to investigate their post-election conduct.

Nov 5, 2020
USA Today

The Supreme Court must avoid partisan overreach on election cases

LDAD Steering Committee member Dennis Aftergut co-authors an article urging the Supreme Court to resist the President’s attempts to use the court as his political tool. The future of our democracy depends on it.

Nov 2, 2020
Verdict

How to Repair the Damage Done by Donald Trump

It’s not too early to start thinking about repairing the damage to our democracy done over the last four years. On October 27, Lawyers Defending American Democracy, an organization with more than 2,000 supporters nationwide, did just that.

Oct 28, 2020
USA Today Opinion

FBI director Wray says the right things about protecting voters. But he needs to say more.

LDAD Steering Committee member Dennis Aftergut co-authors an article explaining why voters concerned about voter suppression and interference need more reassurances from FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Oct 28, 2020
Bloomberg

The ABA Must Include Its Core Values When Ranking Judges

Laureen Rikleen is a LDAD Steering Committee member and former president of the Boston Bar Association. In an article published by Bloomberg News, she argues the ABA’s criteria for evaluating federal judges is flawed. This process resulted in a “highly qualified” ranking of Amy Coney Barrett even though her views are contrary to the ABA’s own stated values.

Oct 23, 2020
Washington Post

LDAD Letter Featured in the Washington Post

In a letter to the Washington Post, LDAD Steering Committee member Stanley J. Marcuss points out the deeply disturbing aspects of the Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination and why the nomination poses a threat to the institution and reputation of the Supreme Court.

Oct 19, 2020
Boston Globe

Boston Globe Editorial References LDAD’s Statement of Support for DOJ Employees

“As an open letter in support of current Justice Department attorneys and agents signed by a nonpartisan coalition of former prosecutors and judges, law professors, and practicing attorneys states that the American people need DOJ officials to ‘stand by their oaths and the Department of Justice’s duty to do justice for the public by not participating in partisan misuse of the DOJ.”

Oct 15, 2020
law.com

Standing Up to Barr’s Election Maneuvers: Former Judges and Bar Leaders Support Pushback by DOJ Lawyers

In their open statement, legal profession leaders have acted wisely—demonstrating their support for DOJ professionals who heed that call and refuse to stand by silently as a misguided Attorney General dishonors our Constitution,” write Frederick Baron, former associate deputy attorney general and director of the Executive Office of National Security, and Renne Public Law Group’s Dennis Aftergut, a former federal prosecutor and chief assistant city attorney in San Francisco.

Oct 8, 2020
Washington Times

Coalition of attorneys, ex-judges calls on career DOJ lawyers to speak out against Barr

A coalition of attorneys and judges on Thursday said they will support any Justice Department official who resigns or speaks out against what they say is “political misuse” of the department by Attorney General William P. Barr ahead of next month’s presidential election.

Oct 15, 2020
Bloomberg

Why Are DOJ Alums, Bar Leaders Speaking Out for Conscience Now?

Former Department of Justice trial attorney Joshua P. Bogin explains why he was one of more than 800 signatories on an open letter supporting DOJ attorneys who stand up to partisan actions by Attorney General William Barr. The letter is aimed to help preserve public trust that DOJ professionals are not simply pawns of whatever administration occupies the White House.

Oct 8, 2020
Law & Crime

Hundreds of Lawyers, Law Profs and Former Judges Warn: Bill Barr’s ‘Political Misuse’ of the DOJ Could Undermine Election

Several hundred current and former attorneys offered their support for Department of Justice personnel who may feel uneasy about being used for Attorney General Bill Barr’s political agenda. In an open letter published Thursday, the signatories warned of “difficult choices” facing DOJ employees who are worried about “political misuse” of the nation’s top law enforcement agency as the 2020 general election looms in the none-too-distant future.

Oct 8, 2020
Boston Globe Opinion

To protect the election, prosecutors and lawyers everywhere must stand up to Attorney General Barr

If mobilized to favor one candidate’s election success, the DOJ’s army of lawyers and agents could swing the outcome of a contested national vote against the people’s will.

Oct 8, 2020
Verdict

“Should Department of Justice Lawyers Defy William Barr?”

On Wednesday, a group called Lawyers Defending Democracy published an extraordinary, open letter addressed to the 100,000 professionals working in the United States Department of Justice. This letter was signed by more than 600 members of the bar from across the United States, including three former American Bar Association presidents, three former state bar presidents, eight former federal judges, and four former state attorneys general.

Oct 8, 2020
Politico

Legal professionals vow to stand against DOJ political interference

Three former American Bar Association presidents, as well as several former judges and state and local bar leaders, are offering support to any Justice Department officials who resign or speak out against evidence of politicization in the waning weeks of the 2020 presidential election.

Oct 8, 2020
The Hill

Hundreds of attorneys and judges offer to support any Trump official opposing ‘political misuse of the DOJ’

Hundreds of attorneys and judges are offering support to Justice Department officials who resign or speak out about what they say is “political misuse” of the department by Attorney General William Barr in the lead-up to the Nov. 3 presidential election.

Sep 15, 2020
USA Today

Dannehy joins Justice honor roll by resigning from politicized Durham FBI Russia probe

Career lawyers should protest or resign like Dannehy to flag partisan misuse of the Justice Department in the election, our core democratic moment. So says LDAD Steering Committee member Dennis Aftergut in his latest Op-ed (co-authored with Frederick Baron, former Associate Deputy Attorney General and Director of the Executive Office for National Security in the Clinton administration) for USA Today.

Sep 1, 2020
USA Today

The moment when the Justice Department lost the chance to dismiss General Flynn’s case

LDAD Steering Committee member Dennis Aftergut co-authors an Op-ed in USA Today that asks, “Are there any circumstances when a court could deny an unopposed prosecutor’s motion to drop a case?” His answer – Yes, corruption.

Aug 27, 2020
LDAD

Regarding the Use of the White House for the Republican Convention

Mark Meadows, the President’s Chief of Staff, says he is not concerned about possibly breaking the law in hosting the Republican Convention at the White House because “Nobody outside of the Beltway really cares.” In a letter to the Washington Post, LDAD Steering Committee member Stanley J. Marcuss calls this assertion “an insult to those living outside the Beltway.”

Aug 15, 2020
LDAD

Acting Is Too Serious for the Business of Government

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has ruled that the Acting Head of the Department of Homeland Security and his Acting deputy occupy their positions unlawfully. LDAD Steering Committee member Stanley J. Marcuss authors a letter on the appropriateness of bypassing the Senate when doing the business of filling important government positions.

Jul 28, 2020
USA Today

The unethical William Barr: 27 lawyers, 4 powerful allegations of dishonesty and deceit

Lawyers’ complaint is shocking evidence of Barr’s mendacity and a warning for us: He’s America’s most important public lawyer, and we can’t trust him.

Jul 28, 2020
Verdict

Verdict / Justia covers LDAD’s Disciplinary Complaint Against A.G. Barr

Today Attorney General William Barr is scheduled to testify before Congress. Meanwhile, less than a week ago, 27 nonpartisan members of the DC legal establishment, including four former presidents of the DC Bar, filed a disciplinary complaint for systematic violations of the canons of ethics by Mr. Barr.

Jul 28, 2020
Miami Herald

Donate to crowdfunding site so those who have served their time can vote, as Floridians intended

LDAD Steering Committee member Eugene R. Fidell weighs in on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to permit Florida to keep hundreds of thousands of people formerly convicted of felonies from voting in next month’s primary elections.

Jul 26, 2020
LDAD

Op-Ed: Rehearing in Michael Flynn Case Important to The Rule of Law

In a small but significant victory for the rule of law, a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. has decided to review a 2-1 panel ruling that Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former National Security Advisory, must be allowed to go free despite the fact that he lied to the FBI in its investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.  This may not sound like a big deal, but it is.

Jul 24, 2020
Bloomberg Law

Spotlights LDAD’s Complaint against Attorney General Barr

A new D.C. Bar complaint details the pattern of alleged ethical violations taken by Attorney General William Barr in the last two years that showed political interference in the Department of Justice’s law enforcement decisions and damage to the morale of DOJ attorneys, says Joseph Rich, who spent more than 36 years working for the DOJ under attorneys general from both parties.

Jul 24, 2020
The Bulwark

The Bulwark Features LDAD and asks "Should Bill Barr Be Disbarred?"

On Wednesday a group of distinguished members of the District of Columbia Bar forced that question by alleging that the attorney general has committed a series of serious violations of his ethical obligations as a lawyer. That the attorney general must be an exemplary lawyer is highlighted in the Judiciary Act of 1789, which created that position, and by subsequent codifications of the attorney general’s duties.

Jul 23, 2020
Courthouse News

Courthouse News Service cites LDAD’s Amicus Brief in Michael Cohen case coverage

Calling the government’s retaliation unprecedented in his 21-year career, a federal judge ruled Thursday that Michael Cohen was unfairly sent back to prison for writing a book during home confinement. Lawyers Defending American Democracy, a group calling for Barr’s resignation as attorney general, filed an amicus brief in the case on Tuesday. Represented by attorney Christine Chung, the group says Cohen’s case is about extortion.

Jul 22, 2020
Washington Examiner

Former DC Bar Association presidents call for investigation into William Barr

Four former D.C. Bar Association presidents are calling for an investigation into whether Attorney General William Barr violated its rules for lawyers practicing in the city. The four former presidents were among a group of more than two dozen D.C. bar members who sent a letter dated Wednesday to Hamilton P. Fox, who serves as disciplinary counsel, according to Politico. 

Jul 22, 2020
Breitbart

Lawyers’ group files professional ethics complaint against A.G. Barr

More than two dozen Washington D.C. lawyers on Wednesday filed an ethics complaint against U.S. Attorney General William Barr, accusing him of violating his professional obligations as a member of the local bar. This article was authored and originally published by United Press International.

Jul 22, 2020
Politico

LDAD featured in Politico: Past D.C. Bar Association chiefs call for probe of William Barr

Four former presidents of the D.C. Bar Association have signed a letter calling on the group to investigate whether Attorney General William Barr has violated its rules. The District of Columbia Bar authorizes lawyers to practice in the city and has the power to punish them for breaking its rules and to revoke their law licenses.

Jul 22, 2020
Just Security

Why 27 Distinguished DC Lawyers Filed a Complaint with Bar Association Against Attorney General Barr

It has been deeply disturbing to witness Attorney General William Barr persistently acting to undermine the rule of law over the past sixteen months. The administration of justice depends on lawyers honoring their ethical duties and playing by the rules, so the public can have confidence in the fairness and impartiality of our legal system.

Jul 6, 2020
The Hill

LDAD Steering Committee Member Eugene Fidell’s Opinion featured in The Hill

Just before the Fourth of July weekend, the Supreme Court of the United States, by what has now become its customary 5-4 vote, granted a stay of a lower court decision that would have required Alabama to permit Alabamians to vote by mail without having their ballots notarized or attested by two witnesses. Big mistake.

Jun 24, 2020
Scribd

LDAD Applauds George Washington University Law School Faculty for its Criticism of Attorney General William Barr

Professors and deans at George Washington University Law School renounced one of their most prominent alumni on Tuesday, releasing a statement vilifying Attorney General William Barr’s conduct since taking up residence in the 45th president’s cabinet.

Jun 15, 2020
LDAD

LDAD earns the endorsement of former Congressman Henry Waxman

Congressman Waxman (1975-2015; Calif.) has released the following statement in support of LDAD’s Open Letter to States and American Lawyers to Protect Against Voter Suppression...

Jun 10, 2020
Boston Globe

Why the Michael Flynn Case Matters to You

LDAD founder Scott Harshbarger and Steering Committee member Evan Falchuk author a new op-ed published by the Boston Globe arguing why the Flynn case is at the front lines of the most important battle of our time: that between the rule of law and law of the ruler.

May 27, 2020
Law & Crime

Legal Advocacy Group Defends Judge’s Order in Michael Flynn Case

A nonpartisan legal advocacy organization composed of attorneys and former federal and state judges filed an amicus brief on Wednesday defending U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan’s handling of the Michael Flynn case thus far. LDAD warned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that Flynn’s case presented issues of significant constitutional consequence.

May 17, 2020
The Hill

On government and public confidence

LDAD Steering Committee member Eugene R. Fidell authors another persuasive op-ed for The Hill’s Opinion section. In it, he explores what it means for a President to foster the public’s confidence in government and the administration of justice.

May 11, 2020
Boston Globe

Judge Sullivan must reject Barr’s usurpation of judicial power

A new Op-ed by Professor Laurence Tribe urges Judge Sullivan to move ahead and sentence Michael Flynn.

May 11, 2020
LAUROL

Lawyers Allied to Uphold the Rule of Law (LAUROL)

LAUROL is a nationwide, nonpartisan coalition of lawyers, legal scholars, and retired jurists dedicated to “ensuring that all persons in the United States receive fair and impartial justice.” In a letter to the Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives, the group expresses their concerns about actions taken by the Department of Justice and the present Administration.

May 11, 2020
DOJ Alumni

DOJ Alumni Statement on Flynn Case

A statement made on behalf of former Department of Justice employees in response to the Department’s motion to drop the charges against Michael Flynn condemns President Trump’s and Attorney General Barr’s political interference, expresses support for the career employees of DOJ, implores Judge Sullivan to scrutinize the Department’s purported justification for dropping the charges, and calls on Congress to hold Barr accountable, including formally censuring him.

May 8, 2020
Washington Post

Experts weigh in on the pandemic

LDAD Steering Committee member Stanley Marcuss weighs in on President Trump’s refusal to let Anthony S. Fauci testify before the House of Representatives in a Letter to the Editor of The Washington Post.

May 1, 2020
The Hill

Today should be ‘Rule of Law Day’

LDAD Steering Committee member Eugene R. Fidell makes a powerful case in The Hill’s Opinion section. “ Law Day needs a facelift, and I suggest we begin by renaming it Rule of Law Day, because the Rule of Law itself — a phrase we usually employ when talking about other countries — is as much under siege as our society as a whole is because of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Apr 11, 2020
The Hill

Federal officials fired by Trump face tough road in court

President Trump’s recent shake-up of agency watchdogs has his critics fuming, but legal experts say that federal officials fired for even apparently political reasons have little legal recourse. A group of legal heavyweights, Lawyers Defending American Democracy (LDAD), said Trump’s treatment of the inspectors general undermined the rule of law.

Mar 25, 2020
The Crime Report

300 Lawyers, Judges Call for Barr’s Resignation

Attorney General William Barr’s intervention in the Roger Stone case and his efforts to distort the conclusions of the federal investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 election make him unfit to be the highest justice official in the U.S., charges a letter signed by 300 leading attorneys, former judges, and bar association presidents.

Mar 24, 2020
Law & Crime

Lawyers Call for Barr’s Resignation: COVID-19 Is a Danger to Our Health and Economy, Barr Is a Danger to Democracy

A self-styled non-partisan group of lawyers and former judges continued a tradition of sorts on Tuesday by calling for Attorney General William Barr’s resignation.

Feb 14, 2020
Boston Bar Association

Statement on Maintaining Public Trust in the Justice System

Lawyers Defending American Democracy applauds the Boston Bar Association’s warning that the prosecution of Roger Stone poses a serious threats to public confidence in the Department of Justice and the rule of law.

Feb 12, 2020
NYC Bar Association

Letter to Congressional Leaders and Dept. of Justice Inspector General Regarding the Prosecution of Roger Stone and Related Actions

LDAD applauds the statement issued today by the New York City Bar Association which calls for immediate investigations by Congress and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General in connection with the prosecution of Roger Stone.

Jan 31, 2020
Above The Law

Hundreds Of Lawyers Protest On Steps Of Supreme Court To Demand ‘Impartial Justice’ In Trump’s Impeachment

Today, Lawyers for Good Government, along with Lawyers Defending American Democracy, Lawyer Moms of America, and Demand Justice will join together in solidarity to protest on the steps of the Supreme Court in an effort to demand that every United States Senator fulfill their duties and obligations to our country.

Jan 20, 2020
Boston Globe Letters

Senate trial underway beneath a shadow of partisanship

It is too often said that a Senate trial following impeachment is political, so the Senate can proceed in whichever way it chooses. Yes, the Senate is a political body, but that does not make an impeachment trial political.

Jan 14, 2020
Boston Globe Opinion

Why Mitch McConnell must allow Senate to call witnesses in Trump’s impeachment trial

By voting in favor of calling witnesses and demanding documents, Democrats will necessarily take the chance that the information revealed will help exonerate the president. If that turns out to be the case, so be it. At stake is not how best to achieve a preordained partisan result, but how best to conduct a fair trial.

Jan 7, 2020
Law.com

‘Indefensible’: Hundreds of Lawyers Criticize McConnell Over Senate Impeachment Trial

Hundreds of lawyers have signed onto an open letter criticizing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for his comments saying the Senate’s upcoming impeachment trial does not have to be impartial. In the letter to the Senate, published Tuesday by the group LDAD, the lawyers said that McConnell’s “assertions cannot withstand scrutiny.”